Market Pulse: Emerging-yield assets got a slap of attention as Russia signaled 6.25%–6.50% guidance on its 3.2-year yuan OFZs, sending the hunt for income into overdrive.
Key Movers: Russia’s OFZ auction news and the abysmal D-to-D+ grading on US dams and levees drove bond yields and muni repricing. Muthoot Microfinance grabbed headlines with a 20% growth forecast amid peaking delinquencies.
Macro & Politics: North Korea’s radio blackout underscores hidden frontier risks, reminding you that geopolitical blackouts can strand illiquid capital.
What’s Next: Watch for any Fed whispers today after these mixed global cues set the tone for yield-chasers.
Market Commentary
What everyone’s missing is how the crumbling state of US water infrastructure creeps into muni bond math. The report “U.S. Dams, Levees, Stormwater, and Wastewater Systems Get D To D+ Grades” (Nakedcapitalism.com) is a damn wake-up call: nearly a trillion dollars of upgrades will pressure local creditworthiness even as yields rise.
Look at Russia guiding its yuan OFZ yields at 6.25%–6.50% (“Russia sets yield guidance for 3.2-year yuan-denominated OFZ bonds at 6.25%-6.50%, source says,” The Times of India) right as North Korea silences 85% of outside broadcasts (“38 North: outside radio broadcasting to North Korea is down 85% since the start of 2025,” Mediagazer.com). Frontier markets are serving yield on a platter, but you’re signing up for geopolitical surprises.
Action time: blend your search for income with some downside buffers. A covered-call overlay on higher-grade bond ETFs alongside selective microfinance names like Muthoot Microfinance (Ndtvprofit.com) can let you collect yield and sidestep the worst storms.
📈 Breaking Financial News
Russia sets yield guidance for 3.2-year yuan-denominated OFZ bonds at 6.25%-6.50%, source says
The yield guidance for its 7.5-year yuan-denominated OFZ government bonds has been set at no higher than 7.5%, the source said
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Hyung-Jin Kim / Associated Press:
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